Obama meeting with lawmakers over shutdown

Boehner: 'President finally recognizes his refusal to negotiate is indefensible'

Published: 10/02/2013 at 12:31 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama summoned congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday as a partial government shutdown entered a second day with little sign of a breakthrough to get hundreds of thousands of people back to work. Some on Capitol Hill ominously suggested the impasse might last for weeks, but a few Republicans seemed ready to blink.

House Speaker John Boehner’s office said the Ohio Republican would attend the White House meeting Wednesday afternoon, casting it as a sign the president is ready to start negotiating on GOP demands to extract changes to the new health care law in exchange for funding the government.

“We’re pleased the president finally recognizes that his refusal to negotiate is indefensible,”” Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said. “It’s unclear why we’d be having this meeting if it’s not meant to be a start to serious talks between the two parties.”